7.31.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Auburn depth chart impact OL Dylan Senda

Nathan King

5–6 minutes

Five days before the start of fall camp, Auburn’s 2023 transfer class is back up to 20 players.

The Tigers added a late transfer pickup Sunday evening: Northwestern offensive lineman Dylan Senda, a 3-star recruit from Michigan in the 2023 class, who now serves as a retroactive signee in the Tigers’ recruiting class that had already brought in five offensive linemen from either high school or the JUCO level.

Senda entered the transfer portal just three days ago, after Northwestern fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald amid hazing allegations in the program. Due to the circumstances so close to the start of the season after a coaching change, NCAA rules stated that any Northwestern transfer will be immediately eligible to play at a new school if he enters the portal by Aug. 9. Senda, who was Northwestern’s first commitment in its 2023 class, will look to arrive at Auburn this week. The Tigers’ first day of preseason practice is Thursday.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds by Northwestern this spring, Senda was rated as the No. 43 interior offensive lineman in the country in the 247Sports Composite. He also held offers from Michigan, Penn State, Kentucky and Miami, among others.

Senda becomes the fourth offensive lineman in Auburn’s 2023 transfer class, joining left tackle Dillon Wade (Tulsa), right tackle Gunner Britton (Western Kentucky) and center Avery Jones (East Carolina).

Assuming Senda sticks as an interior O-lineman at Auburn, let’s take a look at the Tigers’ updated personnel at guard and center, and refresh the projected two-deep for position coach Jake Thornton’s group.

Seniors: Avery Jones, Kameron Stutts, Jalil Irvin

Juniors: Jeremiah Wright (RS), Tate Johnson (RS), Jaden Muskrat (RS)

Sophomores: N/A

Freshmen: Dylan Senda, Connor Lew, Bradyn Joiner, Clay Wedin, E.J. Harris (RS)

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Early depth chart projection

LT: Dillon Wade, Garner Langlo

LG: Jeremiah Wright, Kameron Stutts

😄 Avery Jones, Connor Lew

RG: Tate Johnson, Jaden Muskrat

RT: Gunner Britton, Izavion Miller

Despite his projection as a center or guard, Senda is about as versatile a high-school offensive lineman as they come. He started at center his first two years at Divine Child High School (Livonia, Mich.), then at right guard his junior season, and left tackle his senior year.

When Northwestern signed him in December, Fitzgerald said Senda could “play all five positions.” Senda was an early enrollee with the Wildcats this spring, and made some strong impressions to the point where he cracked the two-deep on the offensive line at a few practices.

Having bulked up more than 25 pounds last year, Senda started to receive some high-end offers after making the rounds at camps heading into his senior season. Last summer was when Michigan, Michigan State, Miami and Penn State all began to make late pushes, but Senda had been a constant visitor at Northwestern since his sophomore year and ultimately stuck with his commitment.

247Sports recruiting analyst Allen Trieu offered this scouting report of Senda last August: “Will be able to play guard or center in college. Will be a bigger interior player. Multi-year starter with experience and is technically sound. Plays hard and has been consistent through his high school career. Has worked to improve his lateral agility and explosiveness. Will need to continue doing that and getting additional work in on flexibility and bend. Can move and get into the second level and plays with good balance. Higher floor prospect who will be a Power Five starter.”

At Auburn, Senda will obviously be working at a disadvantage in terms of learning the Tigers’ offensive schemes — and settling in with an entirely new team in general — compared to the three freshmen offensive linemen who were early enrollees in the spring.

There’s no reason to expect Senda to be relied upon even as a depth piece this fall, but he is an intriguing talent for Thornton to mold over the next couple years. Auburn is set to lose a handful of veterans on the O-line after this season, and if he’s truly as versatile as his high-school production indicated, Senda could slide into the two-deep at a number of slots in 2024 and beyond.

Regardless, Senda is now the 10th newcomer on Auburn’s offensive line in 2023 for a unit that had only signed 11 players in the previous four recruiting classes combined.

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Edited July 31, 2023 by aubiefifty

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247sports.com

 

Auburn Undercover Podcast Recapping Auburns 2023 Big Cat Weekend

Christian Clemente

~4 minutes

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VIDEO: Late Kick: Auburn recruiting is on fire under Hugh Freeze

Big time at Big Cat

Something that I thought could happen took place in the last seven days for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers, but it actually started last month. Already with a strong start to the 2024 class, Auburn needed something huge to happen to kick start things and that came when Joseph Phillips committed to the Tigers over Georgia. That type of win was exactly what Auburn needed, but when 5-star Demarcus Riddick flipped from the Bulldogs and chose the Tiger over Alabama, it signaled a change in the game for the program.

Recruits saw and felt it.

That showed up over the weekend with the Tigers adding 4-star Malcolm Simmons before adding a second 5-star flip this week when Perry Thompson flipped from Alabama to Auburn. On Sunday the good news continued when Northwestern offensive lineman Dylan Senda chose Auburn and will arrive in just a few days to begin preseason camp with the Tigers. He’s eligible immediately and has five years to play four for the Tigers.

With the possibility of adding guys like DeAndre Carter and TJ Lindsey this week and others like KJ Bolden and Jalewis Solomon announcing soon, this is a class that could really build some serious firepower in just a few short weeks.

That’s really how these things can go and take on a life of their own in recruiting. All it takes is a few guys to jump onboard and all of the sudden it makes a school like Auburn a much more likely landing spot. Auburn has been in on a lot of good kids over the years, but most of the great classes came when players decided to join forces and win together. We’re seeing that at Auburn for the first time in a long, long time. Buckle up!!

Ready to roll

I don’t know how things are going to turn out with Jarquez Hunter (I think he will play this season), but I have no doubt in my mind that Damari Alston is ready to have a breakout season for the Tigers. He looked like a different guy during the spring and he’s continued that work over the summer. Alston is in the best shape of his life and is a player that has a huge drive to be the best. 

Another guy I continue to hear really good things about is transfer wide receiver Caleb Burton from Ohio State. There has never been a question about his talent, but since arriving on campus he has been a guy that has shown a strong work ethic. That’s exactly what Auburn was hoping to see out of a player that has a chance to be one of the most dynamic offensive players on the roster. It won’t be a surprise to hear his name called early and often when Auburn opens practices later this week.

Big win

A few years ago I had the chance to play a round of golf with Trace Crowe along with one of our mutual friends. I have played with some very good players in my lifetime, but that day I was blown away by Crowe and his ability to go low and make birdies. That showed up over the weekend when he won the Korn Ferry Tour event to move within striking distance of earning his PGA Tour card.

Crowe has followed a similar path to that of Jason Dufner, having to fight his way up through the mini-tours and earn everything he gets. That’s what Dufner did before finally breaking through. I think the same thing is going to happen for Crowe. At 26 years of age, he’s just now getting to his prime in the golf world. I believe the best is yet to come for him and he’s absolutely someone that can light up the PGA Tour if he makes it on full-time next year.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

The next AJ Brown? Perry Thompson could play same role at Auburn

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

When college football fans think of Hugh Freeze, his ability to develop quarterbacks and receivers usually jumps out.

Freeze has had five seasons of 3,000-yard passing performances from his quarterbacks, and his receivers are a part of the reason why.

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Freeze had the pleasure of coaching several talented receivers such as Donte Moncrief, Laquon Treadwell, Evan Engram, and DK Metcalf during his time at Ole Miss, and Auburn’s latest commitment is drawing comparisons to the most talented receiver Freeze has ever coached, AJ Brown.

Following his commitment on Saturday, five-star Perry Thompson told Hayes Fawcett of On3 that the coaching staff at Auburn sees him taking on a similar role that Brown played at Ole Miss.

“Love the coaching staff and the energy everyone brings. I’m really close to Freeze and coach (Marcus) Davis,” Thompson tells On3. “We’ve built a pretty strong relationship. They see me as an AJ Brown type in their offense. A lot of one on one matchups and just getting the ball in my hands to make plays.”

Brown hauled in 29 passes for 412 yards in his lone season playing for Freeze in 2016. He ended his college career with 2,984 yards on 189 catches with 19 touchdowns. Brown currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles and has 4,491 receiving yards with 35 touchdowns in four professional seasons.

If Thompson can build a similar reputation as Brown, Auburn fans will be happy over the next several seasons.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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si.com

 

Auburn football's most valuable players in 2023: No. 20 Ja'Varrius Johnson

Lance Dawe

2–3 minutes

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Johnson led the Tigers in receiving a season ago and will be their go-to guy in the slot this season.

We continue our countdown towards Auburn's 2023 season with a ranking of their most valuable players.

Speedy receiver Ja'Varrius Johnson slides in at No. 20 in our top 25.

Ja'Varrius Johnson's Bio

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

- 5-foot-10

- 167 pounds

- Senior

Auburn struggled to throw the ball in 2022, but when the Tigers managed to get it in Ja'Varrius Johnson's hands, good things happened. Johnson led the team in receiving using a combination of blazing speed and solid route running. He also featured as a punt return specialist last season and will likely feature there alongside Keionte Scott.

Johnson was almost forgotten by Auburn media throughout spring practice and into the summer considering how many other talented wideouts the Tigers' picked up through the transfer portal.

Freeze should be able to get the most out of Johnson, who will be a big-time feature of this offense once again. How will big playmakers Shane Hooks and Jyaire Shorter effect Johnson's production? It's yet to be seen.

Auburn football's most valuable players in 2023:

21. Austin Keys, LB

22. Zion Puckett, S

23. Camden Brown, WR

24. Marcus Harris, DL

25. Robby Ashford, QB

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Auburn RB target Nate Frazier locks in commitment date

Taylor Jones

~2 minutes

In addition to four-star running back J'Marion Burnette, Hugh Freeze and his staff hope to add one more running back to the 2024 signing class. One of their top targets plans to announce his commitment in the coming days.

Nate Frazier, a four-star running back from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, tells Greg Biggins of 247Sports that he plans to announce his college destination on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m. CT.

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Frazier included Auburn in his top eight list released on July 11. Included in the mix are Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oregon, Nebraska, Tennessee and Miami.

How much of a chance does Auburn have at landing his commitment? In a recent interview with Biggins, Frazier says that Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Oregon are the programs that have the best shot.

According to experts at 247Sports, Georgia is the front-runner. The Bulldogs have received three crystal ball predictions for Frazier since July 20. Frazier is set to take an official visit to Georgia during the weekend of Sept. 15.

“It works out perfectly because we have a bye that weekend and Georgia is hosting South Carolina,” Frazier tells 247Sports. “I can’t wait. I’ve been up to Georgia a lot, but never for a game. I know the atmosphere is going to be crazy, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Frazier is the No. 4 running back in the 2024 class and is the No. 4 overall prospect from the state of California.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

ESPN lists Ron Roberts among most interesting coordinator hires

Daniel Locke

~2 minutes

Auburn has a historic reputation as a strong defensive team. However, that was one of the many aspects of the team that struggled under Bryan Harsin.

Hugh Freeze wanted to hire a coordinator capable of lifting Auburn back to its expected level of defensive play and is confident Ron Roberts is the man for the job.

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Roberts previously served as the defensive coordinator of the Baylor Bears.

An article from ESPN by Adam Rittenberg discusses the most interesting coordinator hires in college football heading into the 2023 season and Roberts made the cut.

The article included quotes about Roberts that Freeze told ESPN’s Heather Dinch.

“The mad scientist,” Freeze said. “He truthfully is probably the most knowledgeable coordinator out there that has trained pretty much everybody in this conference right now that’s doing [the
system]. That was the value I was looking for.”

According to Freeze, Roberts is excited about improving the Auburn defense.

“The biggest challenge I have with Ron is, ‘Let’s don’t do everything in Year 1. Let’s just do what we can do,'” Freeze said. “But I love his maturity and his wisdom.”

Roberts will have his work cut out for him but seems excited about his journey on the Plains.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

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[aubiefifty 17,492]

thanx for stopping by to the best damn looking fans in college football!

 

 

[bigbird 60,833]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

thanx for stopping by to the best damn looking fans in college football!

 

 

Thanks for all you help with, buddy!

[ellitor 33,339]

3 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

thanx for stopping by to the best damn looking fans in college football!

 

 

[alabastertiger 629]

I wonder how many articles would have been written if alabama flipped a 5* recruit from Auburn?   Not saying that a lot hasn't been written about this.   I'm just saying that I think a lot more would have been written if they took our highest ranked player.

[aubiefifty 17,492]

32 minutes ago, alabastertiger said:

I wonder how many articles would have been written if alabama flipped a 5* recruit from Auburn?   Not saying that a lot hasn't been written about this.   I'm just saying that I think a lot more would have been written if they took our highest ranked player.

normally i would agree with you but folks seem to have gone nuts covering it. maybe we are finally getting some respect. it was everywhere i looked when doing auburn articles. but then i have to admit i never searched out bama articles when we lost a player. shrugs

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yahoo.com

Depth chart decisions, passing offense among biggest storylines for Auburn football in 2023

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

4–5 minutes

AUBURN — Recruiting has been the hot topic as of late for Auburn football — the Tigers secured two five-star commitments earlier this month — but the first fall camp of the coach Hugh Freeze era is just days away.

The attention of fans will quickly shift from dreaming about the future to instead focusing on the upcoming season, as Auburn is scheduled to begin with what should be an easy matchup at home against UMass on Sept. 2. The Tigers then go on the road to Cal in Week 2 and host Samford in Week 3 before traveling to Kyle Field to open SEC play versus Texas A&M on Sept. 23.

Before all of that, though, Auburn has about a month to prepare and work out as many issues as possible. Here are some of the biggest storylines to monitor ahead of Freeze's first season on the Plains.

RECRUITING: 5-star KJ Bolden talks his Auburn football recruitment and other notes from Big Cat Weekend

LOOKING AHEAD: Predicting Auburn football's starters ahead of Hugh Freeze's first fall camp

How much can the passing game improve?

Auburn is a storied program. Two national championships, eight SEC titles and 12 undefeated seasons is a resumé that puts many other schools to shame.

But the Tigers have traditionally done it with defense and a strong running game. That's not to say it's impossible for that trend to continue, but Freeze's history points elsewhere. The 53-year-old coach is best known for orchestrating elaborate offenses that attack opponents through the air; dating back to his time at Arkansas State in 2011, the leading receiver in a Freeze-led offense has averaged 946 yards a season. That number would rank No. 5 all time in AU history.

Auburn averaged 172.7 passing yards a game last year. That ranked No. 119 in the country and dead last in the SEC by a comfortable margin. The stats will surely rise, but by how much? And will it translate to more wins?

What does the backfield look like?

Having better results through the air should help. But in Year 1, Freeze needs to lean on where his offense holds the most talent. Between junior Jarquez Hunter, sophomore Damari Alston, freshman Jeremiah Cobb and South Florida transfer Brian Battie, there isn't an offensive position group better suited for success in 2023 than Auburn's running backs.

But there's only so many carries to go around. Assuming Hunter is available — he may be involved in an off-the-field situation — the Tigers will need to figure out how to split up reps and keep everyone happy. Does that mean Cobb is destined to redshirt as a freshman? Not necessarily.

"If Jeremiah Cobb comes in here and he’s the best out there on the field, then he is going to be on the field," running backs coach Cadillac Williams said April 4. "I’m a firm believer — my guys know — that I am fair. ... Coach (Hugh) Freeze, (offensive coordinator Philip) Montgomery and myself, we’re going to do what’s best for the team.

"If we feel like a freshman or whoever is the best player out there, then (they play). That is what I am a believer in. I’m honest with my guys. They’re going to create their roles on this team. ... I always challenge my guys: Let’s be a realist, man. Film don’t lie. So, again, Jeremiah Cobb will come into this thing and he will have ample opportunity to prove what he can do.”

When will the starting QB competition be done?

Freeze has already shed some light on what the quarterback competition will look like early. He plans for it to begin as a three-way battle between Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, incumbent starter Robby Ashford and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner, but he would like one of those players to be cut from the race 10 days into fall camp.

Beyond that is a mystery, though. Will we see multiple QBs take meaningful snaps against the Minutemen? Or will the competition be settled by then, giving whoever is named the starter all of the reps that matter?

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Biggest storylines of Hugh Freeze's first fall camp